WATERBURY, VT – Paul Wells of Enosburg has filed the first entry for “The People’s Race”, the 23rd annual M&M Beverage Enduro 200 on Sunday, July 29 at Barre’s Thunder Road. The Enduro is a 200-lap, no-holds-barred event where over 100 amateur drivers race virtually street-legal automobiles for a top prize of $2,000.
Wells won the race in 1996, and will try to duplicate the feat in a car considerably different than his
first winning mount. The 48 year-old will drive a compact 1993 Dodge Colt, much smaller than the full-sized Chevrolet Monte Carlo he drove to the win over a decade ago.
“My crew chief, Steve Morriseau, talked me out of retirement,” said Wells with a chuckle. “We don’t care whether it goes well or not, we just want to have fun, which is really what it’s all about. At first, I wasn’t sure about that little Dodge Colt we’ve got, but a lot of the recent winners have been smaller cars. I guess it could do it.”
In addition to his previous victory, history is on Wells’ side: Tad Kingsbury drove a Chevrolet Celebrity sedan to the victory last year, while Doug Turner won in 2005 in a mid-1990s Pontiac Grand Prix. Current NAPA Tiger Sportsman driver Matt White started his racing career with a win in the 2004 M&M Beverage Enduro, driving a tiny Dodge Shadow that he later converted into a Power Shift Junkyard Warrior machine. All three cars were front-wheel drive, and are considered to be on the “small” side in an Enduro field.
Wells says that no matter what type of car an Enduro driver is racing, all you really need is luck.
“Winning the Enduro is all luck,” said Wells. “Maybe if you’re still in the race with a shot to win in
the last 25 laps you need some strategy, but luck is the biggest part of it. I had a big piece of junk with an automatic transmission in 1996, this year I’ve got a little piece of junk and I’m trying it again.”
To request an entry for the 23rd annual M&M Beverage Enduro on Sunday, July 29, call the Thunder Road office at (802) 244-6963, or send a request to P.O. Box 296, Waterbury, VT 05676. For more information, visit www.thunderroadspeedbowl.com.